Summer is already here, at least in Southeast Asian countries, and our color-treated hairs will surely wither away beneath the harsh sunlight and when soaked in the pool with lots of chlorine. Whether you dye your own hair it leaves it to the professionals, taking care of your new hair color is up to you. So before coloring your hair red, violet, pink, blue, green, or any vibrant color, read this tips below:
1. Shampoo Your Color-Treated Hair Less Frequently
I’ve been told that bold hair dyes like red, violet, etc. fade faster than those brown and blondes because they have larger molecules, making it more difficult to penetrate deeply into the hair. Even if you use a color-safe shampoo, it will still make the hair a little shade lighter in every wash. But when you use shampoo, make sure it’s sulfate-free, because sulfates contain salt, which strips away moisture, and moisture loss is one of the main causes of color fading.
2. But It’s Better if You Skip Shampoo from Time to Time
Some people with bold hair colors wash their hair every other day. They just skip the shampoo and go straight to color-safe conditioners or hair masks rich in protein. Personally, I actually just shampoos my hair once a week. But if you’re not comfortable with that, you can use cleansing creams which is milder and moisturizing or a dry shampoo.
3. Stay Away From Hot Water
When you wash your hair, skip the hot water. Just stick to lukewarm or cooler water temperatures. Because hot water strips the color faster because it opens the surface of the hair strand, which causes the dye molecules to escape.
4. Use Leave-In Treatments To Protect Color-Treated Hair
Leave-in conditioning hair treatments can not only help detangle your hair and protect it from heat tools, and other damaging forces, but it also help make hair color stay longer and more vibrant. Look for leave-in conditioners that are specially formulated to protect color-treated hair. Or you could use Coconut Oil instead. Because coconut oil has a natural SPF of about 6, it’s not enough for skin but a perfect poolside hair protectant that doubles as a hydrating treatment.
5. Wet & Condition Before Dipping in the Pool or Beach
Since it’s already summer here in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, a lot of us will be going to the beach or swimming in the pool. Those two can fade hair colors, because of the sea salt and chlorine. So thoroughly wetting your hair and applying conditioner before diving into either will prevent your hair color from fading because the conditioner will absorb the salt and chlorine while damp hair will absorb less water. Using coconut oil helps too.